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Sergey Veselovsky

PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor at World Politics Department, MGIMO University, RIAC expert

March 22, 2016, started with tragic news from the capital of Belgium: severe explosions occurred in the departure lounge of an airport and at Maelbeek metro stations in the EU institutions district. The terrorist attack killed 31 people, with over 250 injured. This attack, as well as many others of the kind, was executed by suicide bombers, brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui. IS claimed to be responsible for the attack. This is how Brussels became another European capital that has recently suffered an attack by radicalized Muslims.

March 22, 2016, started with tragic news from the capital of Belgium: severe explosions occurred in the departure lounge of an airport and at Maelbeek metro stations in the EU institutions district. The terrorist attack killed 31 people, with over 250 injured. This attack, as well as many others of the kind, was executed by suicide bombers, brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui. IS claimed to be responsible for the attack. This is how Brussels became another European capital that has recently suffered an attack by radicalized Muslims.

Why has this happened and who is to blame? Belgian society will certainly demand answers to these questions in the near future, especially in view of the fact that the previous major attack in Paris took place less than six month ago. Had it been possible to prevent the terrorist attack this time?

Speaking to the French Parliament after the Paris attacks, Francois Hollande stated explicitly that they had been planned in Syria and prepared in Belgium. The crime organizers were traced back to Brussels, and a large-scale special operation was carried out to find and seize the only surviving attacker – Salah Abdesalam. Although it was impossible to find him immediately after the tragedy, he was arrested on March 18, 2016, which was a huge success for Belgian Special Forces and law enforcement authorities. It is still to be determined whether there is a link between his arrest and the Brussels attacks.

REUTERS/Joe Penney
Sergey Veselovsky:
The Invisible Front of Islamic Terrorism


Belgium became the biggest source of Muslim radicalization in Europe.

Notably, Belgium became the biggest source of Muslim radicalization in Europe during the recent years. It is due to the fact that common issues of young European Muslims – social and economic instability, discrimination, and self-identification problems – are exacerbated by the dramatic division of Belgian society into the Flemish and the Walloon. Certain Belgian politicians thinking predominantly in regional or language terms even suggest separating Flanders from the poor Wallonia. This social division obviously undermines the functioning of federal institutions such as law enforcement and court systems, as well as intelligence services. Hans Bonte, the mayor of Vilvoorde – a town located in the suburbs of Brussels and considered to be one of the European jihadist centers – called Belgian security measures “an excellent example of organized chaos”.

As a result, Belgium provided a perfect environment for the appearance and dissemination of radicalized Islam. However, previously the hatred for democracy and Western values was mainly exported, and now it is turning into an important internal issue – and a very difficult one for a divided country.

Still, to blame domestic problems of Belgian society for the attacks in Brussels means to oversimplify things. The Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks are a logical consequence of domestic and foreign EU policies that would obviously need to be reconsidered.

First of all, the continuing terrorist attacks reveal the weakness of EU member state security systems on the level of law enforcement authorities and Special Forces. Although new European initiatives in the law enforcement sphere were passed after Madrid attacks in March 2004 and the Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) was created, these seem to be insufficient now, and a new reform is long overdue. In particular, the EU has to develop a procedure for the exchange of critically important information by internal security services. The investigation of Paris attacks showed that future terrorists are often featured in the archives of law enforcement authorities. However, they drop off the police radar by moving from one EU member state to another. The EU might also consider implementing joined law enforcement jurisdiction.

Secondly, it is becoming evidently important for EU member states to clearly formulate, strengthen, and secure their basic historical values. European freedoms, rights and tolerance work in favor of radicalized Muslims that use them actively, while deeply despising and even hating the countries that have accepted them. The policy of multiculturalism has been criticized a lot and on many levels. Many immigrants do not want to assimilate and prefer to live in the so-called ethnic enclaves, preserving their values and passing them on to their children that might be Europeans by passport, but certainly not by spirit.

Previously the hatred for democracy and Western values was mainly exported, and now it is turning into an important internal issue – and a very difficult one for a divided country.

Moreover, the attempts of European politicians to please the migrants, from banning traditional German pork sausages to a failure to emphasize the special role of Christianity in the formation of the European civilization, are perceived by the radicalized Muslims as tokens of weakness. These awkward actions destroy centuries-long basics of European identity and form an amorphous, faceless society that is ready to make any concessions to preserve its economic wealth. We would like to believe that a political force would emerge in Europe that would be able to change the situation and namely implement the laws on forced deportation of ineligible migrants and expatriation of people connected with terroristic operations.

European freedoms, rights and tolerance work in favor of radicalized Muslims that use them actively, while deeply despising and even hating the countries that have accepted them.

Finally, foreign policies of EU member states also require reconsideration. Failures in Iraq, Libya and Syria with situations worsening after the intrusion of the Western coalition, inability to effectively resolve the issue of illegal migration (that might attract IS fighters), making advances to Recep Erdogan in a hope to stop the uncontrolled refugee flow – this is not even a complete list of doubtful foreign political decisions that added nothing to Europe's strength but, on the contrary, showed its weakness and inconsistency increasing anti-European sentiments, including those in the Muslim world. It is obvious that future EU policies should be formed and implemented based solely on European interest without connection to any agendas and with clear assessment of the consequences.

It should be clearly understood that radicalized Muslims challenged the EU member states in a serious and anti-systemic manner. The issue cannot be resolved solely by law enforcement measures. Only a unified Europe with intact values and principles respected in the whole world can pass this test and emerge as a victor.

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